Eyelet type safety catch



June 26, 1956 h J, WATSON 2,751,655

EYELET TYPE SAFETY CATCH Filed July 10. 1953 INVENTOR. JOHN R. WATSON ATTORNEYS States Patent Oflice 2,751,655 Patented June 26, 1956 EYELET TYPE SAFETY CATCH John R. Watson, Bristol, R. L, assignor to B. A. Ballou & Co., Incorporated, a corporation of Rhode Island Application July 10, 1953, Serial No. 367,134

4 Claims. ((11. 24-156) This invention relates to a safety catch of the type frequently referred to as an eyelet type because its rotary member is somewhat in the form of an eyelet having generally tubular form with its ends rolled outwardly as is an eyelet.

Heretofore eyelet type safety catches such as that disclosed in the patent to Heaton No. 740,648 have been provided with a stationary post or body member which is relatively short in the direction of the axis of its rotary part, thus providing an opening which has a relatively short dimension in the direction of its axis. Sometimes after there has been wear, there is looseness, and further the piercing of the opening in the body member sometimes provides a roughness around the edge of the opening.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a safety catch of this character which will have a bearing opening which will be of sufficient length to prevent undesirable looseness of the rotary part which is mounted therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide an extended bearing surface with a smooth outer edge which by reason of its formation presents a good bearing without a rough edge for easy rotation of the rotary member in the bearing opening.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement so that a bearing may be had along the surface of the opening as well as on a projection about this opening which will lend to stability of the rotary member in the opening.

Another object of the invention is to cause the pin stem to hold the keeper in locked position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a safety catch mounted on the end of a bar which incorporates the features of this invention;

Figure 2 is an end view on a larger scale of the safety catch showing the position of the slots such that the pin stem assists in holding the keeper member in locked position;

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2 showing fragmental portions of the bar and pin stem;

Figure 4 is an end view of the body member of the catch with the keeper member removed therefrom and showing the body member of modified form;

Figure 5 is a sectional View on line 5-5 of Figure 4 more fully bringing out this modified form of body member.

In proceeding with this invention, I pierce the body member, which is usualiy of sheet stock, and roll the stock which is taken from the piercing outwardly to provide an annular projection about the opening from which the stock is taken. In some cases such an annular projection may be formed by other means and may exist on both sides of the opening through the sheet stock. The

2 keeper member extends through this opening and has its ends rolled outwardly and back upon itself to substantially the plane of the body member, one of these rolledback portions closely embracing the annular projection so as to have bearing engagement therewith.

The slot in the body member is usually directed downwardly, while the slot in the keeper member may be positioned to register therewith in one position to receive the pin stem but may be rotated to a position directed upwardly for locking the pin stem in position, this upward position serving to receive the pin stem which is usually under a slight tension due to bending, tending to keep it at a point distant from the opening in the body. This, the pin stem serves to assist in retaining the keeper member in locked position.

With reference to the drawings, 10 designates a bar which has the body member 11 of the safety catch bent upwardly therefrom at one end, while it is equipped with a pin stem joint formed by cars 12 by bending portions of the bar upwardly so that a pin stem 14 may be mounted upon a pivot pin 15 between the ears 12 to provide a pin stem joint.

The body member 11 of the safety catch has an opening 16 extending therethrough, and in the showings in Figures 1-3 the stock 17 which has been removed from this Opening 16 is rolled outwardly from the center of the opening back against the surface 18 of the body to provide a projection about the opening having a smooth rounded portion 19 annularly about the opening 16. A slot 20 directed downwardly, as shown in Figure 2, is also formed in this body member for the reception of the pin stem 14 inwardly through this slot. The pin stem is also flexed by reason of a stop member in its joint and is bent or sprung downwardly to enter the slot 20 so that it will under the inherent tension. of said bending tend to move\ upwardly against the upper edge of the opening through the body member thus formed and, as shown in Figure 3, will engage this upper edge 21.

A keeper member 22 is of the so-called eyelet type and comprises a tubular portion 23 extending through the opening 16 and having rotary bearing engagement therewith. One end of this tubular member is rolled outwardly as at 24 so as to contact the surface 25 of the body member, while the other end of this tubular member 26 is rolled outwardly into close rotary engagement with the annular projection 17 and about the smooth surface 19 also against the outer surface 18 of the body member where it may be flanged outwardly slightly as at 27. By reason of the annular projection 17, the rotary member has an elongated bearing surface in the body member along the surface 16 and also has a bearing surface along the smooth annular surface 19. The keeper member is thus prevented from axial movement by reason of the rolled back ends thereof while having an extended and enlarged bearing surface by reason of the shaping as above described. This keeper member is also provided with a slot 28, as shown clearly in Figures 1 and 2, with opposite edges 29 and 30 of this slot. This slot permits the pin stem 14 extending against the surface 21 and the position of the pin stem holding the keeper member in its closed position. If it is desired to remove the pin stem from its locked position, the keeper member is rotated from the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 by means of handles 31 and 32 so that the slots 20 and 28 align and then the pin stem may be removed from clasped position by springing the same out of these aligned slots.

In some instances it may be desirable to provide annular projections such as 33 and 34, one on each side of the body member 35, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, in which case the keeper member will have the ends of its tubular form rolled over both of these annular projections. The annular projections such as shown in Figures 4 and 5 may he fdrnned striking' the'stock so as to pierce it and a flowing of the stock into the form desired, or other ways i bei used for -providingksuchannular projections on.

op po site sides,isuchfas by castingior the llike' I. claim;

a major portiom thereof vof. la definite 2 thickness. .withan.

opening therethifongh the stock of said-'rnemberaboutsaid ogningbeing, of a greater thickness .in-thedirection:-o the;.:axisof $aid lopeningtthan. :said.major po rtion of -the merhberg and a-keeger nremb erpf ltubplarmfo rmshaving v a rotatable bearing intsaid openings-with its 1 opposite rendsi:

roiledn'ontwardly, one got its ends being rolled butwa'rdlii, over'said' thicker stock about said-openingoyencsaid thicker portion; extendsifreyersely on itself into close proximity'to the-member about saidvopeningr.

1; Altsafety catch comprisingizaQ-body member having,

4. A safety catch as in claim 1 wherein said thicker stock extends on each side of the body member about said opening. 7

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